Cars vs. Purses vs. Heels?

Some of us have a passion to collect certain items or hobbies. It all varies from cards to figurines, from die-cast models to real cars, from purses to heels. So which are best investments? It varies, and you have to look at the market as well to see what is popular and what isn't.

I'm not a collector of high heels. In fact I hate heels. They are super uncomfortable, they are terrible for the feet, and terrible for overall posture. If you have a bad back already, heels just make it worse. However, I do have a huge collection of shoes. Mostly running shoes (haha). My tallest heel is probably no taller than 1.5 inch. That to me is already tall enough.

My mom used to tell me to be more lady-like by wearing heels more often. This of course was at a time when I participated in cross-country/long distance running and track and field. So my focus was on the best running shoes, not the tallest sexiest heels. She did her best by buying me heels, which I rarely wore (and still rarely do), so then she stopped. However, I was still forced to wear heels whenever there was a formal event or wedding. I'd love to show up to a wedding with a nice dress and comfy running shoes but that would just be terrible...or maybe not?

Christian Louboutin heels are sexy. I have to admit. I really like the black and red contrast. I would love to have a collection of those, but what's the point if they are just on display at home and never worn? The height would kill my feet and back. Their shortest heels don't look as nice as the tall ones, so there's no point buying the shorter heels just to say "Oh look I have them!" I'll gladly admire them on someone else who can rock them well, but otherwise it's just imagination for me. Plus pointy stilettos are hell to walk in. I'm pretty sure I'd trip and fall on my face.

I have seen women collect Louboutins and have them on display in their closets. When I mean collection, I mean they have like 50 pairs of the exact same heels. I have seen used Louboutins go for just under a grand so they still retain their value. But the most common scuff that is mentioned is that the bottom is scuffed up, because obviously it's a shoe. It's been worn so it will have scuff marks on it. And that's how the value goes down. To me, shoes/heels are just like tires. Eventually they will get worn out, so the value just goes down even further. Unless you keep them in the closet for many years and never wear them, I don't see a point collecting heels. It's like a car fanatic collecting tires in his or her's garage. Some people see it as good investments but I don't. 

Die-cast models. I started collecting them around the 2003 mark (with my first model being a BMW Z3 in 1999; received as a gift from my cousin). At that time I had no idea these pieces would be investment pieces. I liked them because they were miniature and so cool to play with. As time went on, and I learned about the various companies that make model cars, I aimed to buy the best ones. The rare models were also the one with better investments, but I had to like the models too. I didn't want to buy a rare model just for the sake of having a rare model. 

I was fortunate enough to buy a 1/12 Lamborghini Murcielago 40th anniversary edition in the summer of 2008. I remember working a lot of night shifts as a student and saved up to get one. A lot of hobby stores were selling it for $600-700 plus tax. At that time the 40th anniversary edition was still available, but it had to be pre-ordered. I ended up paying $550 cash (as I bargained with the manager; my friend and I bought from his store back in the day) for it, and it took about 1.5 weeks before it finally arrived. It is my holy grail so to speak, and I do plan to keep it for a very long time. I know some hobbyists bought it and would keep it to resell it for the future for double the price. If you look on Ebay, a 1/12 40th anniversary model is going for $1,500+. That's because after 2008, both 1/18 and 1/12 models were sold out worldwide (2,000 and 1,000 pieces worldwide). If you were one of the ones who bought it back in the day, you are very lucky.

Not all models are going to have a high resale price. It really depends what model, and how sought after it is in the market. Something like a Nissan R34 Nismo would sell for a higher price than say...a Ferrari F430 or 360. That's not to say Ferrari is worthless, but it's more available than the Nismo. There are ones with limited worldwide pieces which are also highly sought after, but again it really depends. Is it a track car? A road car? Nascar? Formula 1? If the market is more into the road car, then the road car will be much more valuable than Nascar, because more people would want to buy that road car. For example, Nissan GTR R35 in 1/18. A road car but it is sold out (according to Autoart's website). I remember asking the store if they had anymore, and they said it had been sold out for some time.

I stopped collecting as space became an issue (and plus it's hard as heck to move all those models back and forth), but all I can say is...I definitely have way more die-cast model cars than shoes and purses combined. My cool factor just went up.

Now going to real cars. I think the person working a normal 9-5 job is going to have a more difficult time having a car collection than say...someone like Jay Leno. Unless your bank account is infinite, collecting real cars is going to be a challenge, unless you save up a lot or find other side jobs (hey, stripping counts but is not recommended. Props to the dancers though; it takes great strength and practice). Having 2 cars in a family home seems to be the average. But in a household full of gear heads, 2 is just the start. 

Now imagine this. Husband and wife are both gear heads. Both husband and wife have a daily car each (because of working in different parts of the city). And both have a summer car they can take on nice days out. So that's 4 cars. Then of course if you have a family, you'll need a car big enough for the entire family. So that makes 5. Now this is assuming the other 4 cars are coupes, so either it will be impossible to fit baby seats, or there is no backseat period. So the gear head family would have 5 cars. Both hubby and wife better be working lots of overtime in order to make it possible! 

That would be the ultimate goal for a gear head couple. Of course there are other ways to reduce the amount of cars in the family, but this is for serious gear heads. I definitely wouldn't mind having that many cars. The only problem is putting them all safely away at night. A 5 car garage? Good luck. I'm sure it can still work with a 2 car garage. Just put the 2 summer cars away. Boom done. Sounds easy on paper but insurance would be a nightmare in real life.

As most people already know, cars are depreciating items. As soon as you drive off the lot, the value already goes down by 11% and can reach 19% by the end of the first year of ownership. You can baby it as much as you can, but it still wouldn't add value to it. This alone is the main reason why owning a car is expensive. Because of depreciation. Some may think buying higher end models is better because it depreciates less, but that's not always the case. For example, I saw a nice 2014 Porsche Cayman S going used for close to $89k. Brand new starts at around $73k. The owner had added a bunch of options to the car, and in total he paid close to $128k. So yes, it was a lot of (useless) options. He had driven the car for a few months (from May to probably August or September of that same year), then decided he didn't want the car anymore. Sold it to the dealership, and dealership gave him about $78k back. And now the dealership is selling it for $89k. Adding a bunch of options does not increase the value of the car. As a base S, it's already good enough for what it is, so I would leave it be. There is no point adding a bunch of options (unless of course you have the funds for it). 

Which is why I have the mindset to always get a base model. It's basic yes, but you won't be able to sit back, relax and watch movies while you drive. You can't do manicures or pedicures while you drive. The point is to focus on driving and driving alone. If you are a gear head, you test out the limits of your car but you need to be focused to do that. If the car is already good as a base model, then that's great already! Instead of spending money to get the S or GT, you might as well get the base, put some basic bolt ons, and tune it. Boom done. And then of course save the rest or use that money towards something else. 

In the words of Meghan Trainor, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BASE, BOUT THE BASE, NO OPTIONS! 

Now onto handbags. This is probably the one that most people will see as useless and dumb. It's also common with gear heads and their wives. Hubby with cars, wife with purses. That seems to be the trend. Maybe not all, but it's a good amount I would say. The only difference is handbags will retain their value over time, as much as you don't want to believe it, but they do. Again, it really depends on which brands. Some brands will hold their value a lot better than others. It also depends on the market as well.

I have noticed a lot of women (and men) flocking to Louis Vuitton for their bags, wallets, suitcases etc over the years. I never really understood why, because a lot of their products are coated canvas. Supposedly more durable than anything, but I wouldn't really know because I don't own a handbag from LV. The price you pay for a LV coated canvas handbag is pretty similar to getting a saffiano leather Prada wallet. I think it really depends on preference as well. Would you prefer coated canvas or something leather? To me, I can get coated canvas from other contemporary brands. Heck, even they sell leather products. At this point, it's all about the brand and paying for the label.

On the used market, LVs still manage to retain their values, but I noticed not as well as before. It could be because older handbags were much more durable than the current line up, so the resale value of the older handbags are much higher than the new ones. I've noticed the newer ones sell for much less in the used market. As soon as there is a bit of discolouring or marks on it, it drops even more. From what I've heard, Gucci doesn't retain their value as well from before. Prada has been alright in the used market, although it really depends if it's a highly sought after product (eg. the double zip tote is popular). YSL, Celine, Dior, Givenchy and Fendi have been pretty good, whereas Miu Miu's resell value has tanked. The top 2 that have really retained their value are Chanel and Hermes. 

Which brings me to...is it really worth spending 6K to 20K for a handbag? Again, it's all about funds and priority. Do not drop down 8K for a handbag if you can't properly feed your family. The worst thing to see is a mother wearing an 8K bag while her kids wear clothes with holes in them, while looking under weight. I have not seen that, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are people out there like that. I just hope one day they will get their priorities straight.

If funds are not an issue, and you want to start investing in a handbag, by all means go for it. If you decide to resell it in the future, you will get most of your cash back (especially if you really took good care of your handbag). It will also depend how popular the item is, and how much in demand they are. Example: Chanel classic double flap in medium and jumbo are hot in the market right now. Resale value is excellent, and Chanel recently increased their price again on classic items (as of January 29, 2016 here in Canada). Some ladies like to customize their bags by hot stamping their initials or names onto the bag itself. Just know that if that happens, it will also affect resale value (unless someone out there has the same initials as you). Customization is where purse charms come into play. There are many places out there that sell purse charms, or you can make it yourself. Those are just temporary items you can hang off your bag to give it your own style and taste, and if you ever decide to sell the bag, you can just remove the charms. 

Some may think I'm trying to justify what I buy. To some degree, yes. That's why it's called a hobby. Eventually hobbies may die, so it's not something that will always be permanent. Interests can come and go. Having a hobby is fun though, although tiring when it comes to hunting down items, but it definitely keeps the mind busy. It's more fun when your partner can also understand and participates in the hobby. Sharing a hobby can also make the relationship way more fun and exciting!